Friday Feed Update: Up to date in 1 minute

Neovia acquires Balnova

Neovia acquired the Ecuadorian company Balnova, a feed manufacturer for the shrimp market. Through this acquisition, Neovia will consolidate its strong international expertise in aquaculture and its presence in one of the largest shrimp producing markets (ranked 4^th worldwide). Last year Neovia acquired the US larval feed and probiotics manufacturer Epicore, who also operates a major branch in Ecuador. With a population of 16.5 million inhabitants, Ecuador is the 8^th most populated country in Latin America. In 2016, shrimp represented 20% of the country’s exports. Ecuador ranks as the 1^st shrimp feed producer in Latin America and 4^th worldwide.

Proagrica seminars at EuroTier

Proagrica, publisher of All About Feed, Pig Progress, Poultry World and Dairy Global, organises a range of seminars at the upcoming EuroTier in Hannover, Germany. The seminars are focused on gut health in pig and poultry, advanced dairy farming and advanced pig farming, The events take place in the room New York 2 at The Exhibition Grounds in Hannover. The evens are free, but please register to secure your seat.

Evonik sponsored eed mill in Vietnamese University

A state-of-the-art feed mill for production of pelleted trial feeds has opened at Nong Lam University, Vietnam, as part of a scientific collaboration with feed additive specialist company, Evonik. Located at the Nong Lam University campus in Ho Chi Minh City, the facility will produce mash feed for research trials and is designed for handling various small batches, while minimizing cross-contamination. As well as providing a basis for better research, the feed mill will also be an important teaching resource.

Registration open for AFIA online feed course

The American Feed Industry Association has opened registration for its online feed manufacturing course, conducted in partnership with Kansas State University on October 29 to November 30. The 5-week, “AFIA 500: Fundamentals of Feed Manufacturing” distance education programme provides an in-depth understanding of the feed manufacturing process, while allowing participants to work at their own pace and engage in online discussions with other students and university instructors. The feed technology group in KSU’s department of grain science and industry developed AFIA 500 in 2010. The course covers a variety of topics, including: the process flow from particle size reduction, to batching and mixing, conditioning and pelleting, boilers, post-pellet systems, packaging and loadout, and maintenance. To date, more than 450 individuals have earned a certificate for completing this course. Registration can be done here.

Canadian Bio-Systems launches Feed Science Platforms

Canadian Bio-Systems Inc. has launched the main phase rollout of its new Feed Science Platforms (FSP), offering a comprehensive portfolio of advanced bio-based feed technology solutions to benefit swine, poultry, aquaculture and ruminant production. The FSP include 5 areas of feed technology innovation – functional fatty acids, Multi-carbohydrase technology, grain management technology, phytogenics and probiotics and enhanced yeast technology. The platforms are backed by technical support to help livestock operations determine “What’s your FSP fingerprint?” to identify the best customized package for each operation.

Nuscience launches ‘Aim For Zero’ programme

Due to environmental and regulatory issues the use of zinc and antibiotics around weaning is globally under pressure. With the ’Aim For Zero’ programme, Nuscience now offers a total approach for pig farmers and feed mills to help them in the struggle towards zero antibiotics and zinc. It combines nutritional and managerial advice with the product Vitazero. By implementing the programme successfully it is possible to maintain piglets’ health, while creating a range of new benefits for animals, farms, feed mills and society. The first step is a user friendly online benchmarking tool to compare the nutritional and managerial standards of our clients with the latest market trends taking region, genetics and weaning age into account. With this information farmers and nutritionists can have a clearer view on how colleagues with a similar situation are working and learn how to improve their own way of working.

New vertical insect farm in France

Ÿnsect and Amiens Métropole officially announced the installation of a new vertical insect farm in Poulainville (North of France). On September 6, Antoine Hubert, President of Ÿnsect, Fany Ruin, President of the Amiens-Picardie CCI, Alain Gest, President of Amiens Métropole, and Claude Vitry, Mayor of Poulainville, signed the Memorandum of Understanding which paved the way for Ÿnfarm to set up this vertical farm. Building is expected to start in the course of 2019. The farm should be in operation in 2020. Ÿnsect farms insects to make high-quality, premium natural ingredients for pet nutrition and aquaculture, such as insect meal and insect oil. The company also produces fertilizer based on insect derived ingredients.

SoilCares expands to feed and leaf analysis

SoilCares, a provider of information services for smart farming now also provides services to measure nutrients in feed and leaf. Before, the company primarly focused managing and monitoring soil fertility. To match its new service portfolio, the Dutch company changes its name from SoilCares to AgroCares. CEO Henri Hekman: “With AgroCares we can now offer a full package of agricultural services to measure nutrients in soil, feed and leaf.”

The option to provide advice on fertiliser application or feed management can also be added to the services. Depending on the apps in use, you pay an annual license fee for an unlimited number of scans. The true intelligence behind AgroCares’ services are its global databases and the algorithms it employs to generate agronomical information data, reports and recommendations. For soil it uses an in-house developed Global Soil Database, for feed the database of Trouw Nutrition, one of its strategic partners. The leaf database is also an AgroCares development and being launched.

The video underneath shows how AgroCares’ sensor laboratory Lab-in-a-Box works.

LifeStart concept to look at prenatal phase

Sow Peripartal Syndrome relates to a breadth of interrelated challenges experienced by mother sows and piglets throughout the peripartal period. Occurring during gestation, parturition, and the post-farrowing period, dysfunctional sow mother traits can ultimately lead to this syndrome, compromising piglets’ lifetime performance and farmers’ profitability. Trouw Nutrition is now broadening its LifeStart concept to address these challenges. Trouw Nutrition’s LifeStart team is unravelling the pathways contributing to Peripartal Sow Syndrome to help optimise piglets’ lifetime performance and profitable rearing and will prepare a series of reports based on Sow Peripartal Syndrome research.